Ironing machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T. BERG IRONING MACHINE Feb. 9, 1965 Filed Sept. 26, 1962 Q. 9 .mm

T. BERG IRONING MACHINE Feb. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1962 to manufacture.

United States Patent O 3,168,786 IRONING MACHINE Tore Berg, Limnas Gard, Guldsmedshyttan, Sweden Filed Sept. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 226,320 Claims priority, application Sweden Sept. 26, 1961 6 Claims. (Cl. 38-59} This invention relates to an ironing machine intended primarily for domestic use, which comprises an ironing roll driven by a motor and a smoothing shoe between which roll and shoe the goods is inserted for ironing.

Known machines of the above type have either a very limited range of application or are, due to the great number of working machine parts comprise therein, expensive Moreover, their high weight and bulky size makes it diflicult to move and store them in a home.

According to this invention, an ironing machine is provided which is of light weight, compact and cheap, because the number of machine parts comprised therein is considerably reduced. Due to the invention, the entire operational procedure heretofore known and desired is not only maintained butexpanded and simplified.

The machine according to the invention comprises a preferably textile-covered roll which is not only adapted to be forced with or without rotation downwards against a heated smoothing shoe but also to be stopped and started in this position. The construction may, of course, even be such that the roll is mounted fixedly and the smoothing shoe pivoted against the roll. The material to be ironed is fed in between the roll and the shoe where it is not only pressed against the hot shoe, but, by rotation of the roll drawn over the same, whereafter the ironed material falls down on the collecting table.

The aforesaid ironing principle is previously known, but heretofore the motor and the gear box were placed outside the roll, the rotation of latter effected by way of a large number of cog wheels to the pivot shaft of the roll and further up to the roll through a lever supporting the roll.

Sometimes, however, ironing machines have their motor inside the ironing roller and the motor power is uti lized for providing the ironing pressure. In such previously known ironing machines one may distinguish between two different types of machines. In one type the power transmission is entirely enclosed in the roll, the swinging levers of the roll have to be short, the motor has to be a powerful one, and the swinging movement must not be substantially perpendicular to the ironing face of the shoe. In the other type there is an entirely mechanical power transmission from the motor inside the roll to a shoe swinging mechanism outside the roll, said transmission including several gears or transmission levers and, consequently, being heavy and demanding a bulky supporting arm for the ironing roll.

One object of the invention is to provide the possibility of constructing an ironing machine, which is open at both ends, simple, not heavy, cheap, suitable for both left-handed and right-handed persons, and by which the entire operational program heretofore known and desired is not only maintained but expanded and simplified.

The ironing machine according to the invention com prises, in combination a base; supports secured on said base; a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements, supported by said supports, respectively, and consisting of an ironing roll rotatable by a motor, and an ironing shoe; and a power operated mechanism for shifting one of said elements towards and from the other, providing the pressure required for ironing and including a pump mounted together with said motor inside said roll and driven by said motor for delivering a pressure fluid through a line to a pressure cylinder mounted outside said roll in operative connection with the shiftable element of said elements and to a stationary part of the machine.

This invention is primarily characterized in that the motor and possibly a gear box, a clutch and a pump for producing the pressure required for the ironing operation are mounted within the rotary ironing roll adapted to be pivoted against the smoothing shoe.

The invention will be described in greater detail in the following, reference being had to the accompanying drawings showing by way of an example an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 is a section, taken on broken section line I--I and II' of FIG. 2 through the ironing roll with the two levers and the lever shaft supporting the roll, and FIG. 2 shows an end view of the ironing machine.

In the embodiment shown, the ironing machine comprises a hollow, preferably textile-covered, ironing roll 1 mounted on journals 2 and 3 supported by levers 4 and 5 respectively, which levers are connected with one another by a hollow shaft or tube 6 pivoted in bearings 7a and 7b in a support '7 secured on a mounting plate or table 8. On the table 8, there is mounted a further support 9 supporting an ironing shoe 10 of concave shape (shown broken away in FIG. 1) which supports a table 11 for inserting the goods. By means of a pressure fluid operated servomotor 12 mounted on the table 8 and in operative connection via a link coupling 12a with the table 8 and by way of the piston rod 12b of the cylinder 12 with a lever 32 secure to the tubular shaft 6, the ironing roll 1 is pressed against the smoothing shoe lil. A return tension spring 13 mounted on the table 8 pulls arm 32 downwardly pivoting shaft 6 counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 2 and raising the ironing roll 1 away from the smoothing iron as soon as the pressure cylinder 12 ceases to operate to press the arm 32 upwardly. On the table 3, there is further mounted a two position valve 14 the function of which will be described more prei start and is provided with a flange 17 the inner surface of which cooperates with a clutch which in the embodiment shown is of the pneumatic type. The said clutch comprises a disc 18 with internal channels, the outer periphery of the disc covered by an extendable diaphragm 19 which upon supply of compressed air is pressed against the inner surface of flange 17. The disc 18 is mounted on a shaft 20 from which the power is transferred to the ironing roll 1 by way of gear wheels 21, 22 and 23 and a gear wheel 24 serving also as end wall. The other end of the motor is adapted by means of an eccentric 25 to drive a diaphragm pump 26 which, by way of, a line 27 and a check valve (not shown) delivers compressed air to a pressure fluid accumulator 28 from which the compressed air is led out through a line 29 from the ironing roll through the hollow journal 3 and the hollow lever 5 down to the distribution valve 14 mounted on the table 8. Through a line 30 which runs the same way back into the ironing roll, compressed air is delivered to the clutch 1749. From the distribution valve 14 compressed air can be led through a line 31 to the servomotor 12. The distribution valve 14 is constructed such, that upon its movement into a first working position the roll 1 is pressed down against the smoothing shoe 10 in that compressed air is supplied to the pressure cylinder 12 by way of the rod 12b and the lever 32 turns the hollow shaft 6 and thus the levers 4- and 5 carrying the ironing roll 1, and upon movement of said valve 14 into a second working position the roll 1 is rotated, in that compressed air is supplied through line 30 to the clutch 17-19 causing the diaphragm 19 to extend and to press against the flange 17. Upon 3 return from the second to the first working position, the compressed air is discharged from the clutch 17-19, and the roll ceases to rotate. Upon further rearward displacement of the two position distribution valve, the pressure is sufiiciently reduced in servomotor 12 to permit the roll to be turned back to its upper position by the pull of return tension spring 13, and the whole cycle may be repeated. A conduit 33 extends from the accumulator 28 to a relief valve 34 where a diaphragm 35 is actuated, insuch a manner, that upon the reaching the desired pressure in pressure accumulator 28 a shaft 36 is displaced against the effect by a spring 37 and presses a ball 38 upwards enabling the pump to operate without further pressure increase.

The said two journals 2 and 3 are connected with one another within the roll 1 by a system of beams 39 comprise of the beam proper connected at one end to journal 3, and of gear housing 39' suspended on journal 2, supporting the motor and the other details mounted in the roll. In the drawing bolts 44- diagrammatically represent the connection between beam proper to gear housing 39. Current is supplied to the motor through lines 40 in 'the same way as the air lines 29 and 30. For the lines 29, 30 and 40, which are lead through the hollow shaft 6 there are provided holes 41, 42 and 43 in said shaft. In addition to the advantages according to the aforesaid, the arrangement according to the invention offers several more advantages. The rolling pressure, for example, will be constant irrespective of the thickness of the goods inserted for ironing. There is further no need of a separate emergency release which is required in other fully mechanical ironing machines in the event of interruption in electricity supply. In the arrangement according to the invention the roll is released from the hot smoothing shoe in that the compressed air is discharged in usual manner by means of the distribution valve. When using a pneumatic pump, as in the embodiment shown, the motor power may be reduced to about one-third, compared with previously known fully mechanical ironing machines, due to the fact that according to the invention the motor may Work all the time for building up the pressure required for ironing, while in fully mechanical operation the motor must perform the greater part of its Work in rather short periods.

The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiment but may be varied in its details within the scope of the following claims. It is, for example, not necessary to produce the ironing pressure in a pneumatic 4 way, as the pressure may be obtained in a hydraulic way.

What I claim is:

1. An ironing machine comprising, in combination, a base; supports secured on said base; a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements supported by said supports, respectively, and consisting essentially of a rotatable ironing roll, a motor drivingly connected to rotate said roll, and of an ironing shoe; a source of pressure fluid, a pressure fluid operated mechanism for shifting one of said ironing elements toward the other, said pressure fluid operated mechanism providing the pressure required for ironing, a fluid pump, means mounting said motor and said pump inside said roll, means drivingly connecting said pump with said motor to be driven thereby for providing pressure fluid, said pressure fluid operated mechanism including a servomotor mounted outside said roll in operative connection with one of said relatively shiftable ironing elements and to said base, a conduit supplying pressure fluid from said pump to said servomotor and a two position valve to alternately supply and release the pressure fluid to and from said servomotor.

2. An ironing machine according to claim 1, and in which said pump is a diaphragm pump, and an eccentric is drivingly connected with the diaphragm of said pump to reciprocate said diaphragm.

3. An ironing machine according to claim 1, and a pressure accumulator connected between said pump and said servomotor.

4. An ironing machine according to claim Land a clutch connected between said motor and said ironing roll to connect and release the driving connection between said motor and said roll.

5. An ironing machine according to claim 4, and in which said two position valve is connected in said conduit between said pressure accumulator, and said servomotor; said valve, in one of its positions, supplying pressure fluid to said servomotor and in another working position releases the pressure fluid from said servomotor.

6. An ironing machine according to claim 1 and a hollow journal mounting one end of said roll, and conduits for supplying and discharging pressure medium and electric current passing through said hollow journal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,478,565 Bradley Aug. 9, 1949 2,538,617 Davis Jan. 16, 1951 2,881,542 Soble Apr. 14, 1959 

1. AN IRONING MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BASE; SUPPORTS SECURED ON SAID BASE; A PAIR OF RELATIVELY SHIFTABLE IRONING ELEMENTS SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORTS, RESPECTIVELY, AND CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A ROTATABLE IRONING ROLL, A MOTOR DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO ROTATE SAID ROLL, AND OF AN IRONING SHOE; A SOURCE OF PRESSURE FLUID, A PRESSURE FLUID OPERATED MECHANISM FOR SHIFTING ONE OF SAID IRONING ELEMENTS TOWARD THE OTHER, SAID PRESSURE FLUID OPERATED MECHANISM PROVIDING THE PRESSURE REQUIRED FOR IRONING, A FLUID PUMP, MEANS MOUNTING SAID MOTOR AND SAID PUMP INSIDE SAID ROLL, MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID PUMP WITH SAID MOTOR TO BE DRIVEN THEREBY FOR PROVIDING PRESSURE FLUID, SAID PRESSURE FLUID OPERATED MECHANISM INCLUDING A SERVOMOTOR MOUNTED OUTSIDE SAID ROLL IN OPERATIVE CONNECTION WITH ONE OF SAID RELATIVELY SHIFTABLE IRONING ELEMENTS AND TO SAID BASE, A CONDUIT SUPPLYING PRESSURE FLUID FROM SAID PUMP TO SAID SERVOMOTOR AND A TWO POSITION VALVE TO ALTERNATELY SUPPLY AND RELEASE THE PRESSURE FLUID TO AND FROM SAID SERVOMOTOR. 